Apparatus for utilizing liquid or gaseous fuel for power



(No Model.)

S. A. REEVE. ZING LIQUID on GASEQUS FUEL FOR POWER.

Patented Aug. 17, 1897.

APPARATUS FOR UTPLI No. 588,178.

Inventor:

,UNI'TED- STATES PATENT OFFICE...

SIDNEY A. REEVE, F BOSTON,.MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES F. BROWN, TRUSTEE,OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUSFOR UTILIZING LIQUID OR GASEOUS FUEL FOR POWER.

'srnormeanon'jtqrmin part of Letters Patent No. 688,178, dated August 17, 1897. Application filed re ter, 15.1894. 11mm m 16, 1897. Serial No. 619,498. (No model.)

l'oall whom itmayconcern: j I I The compressors A and B may be of any 'Be it-know'n.-that I, SIDNEY A. REEVE, at suitable construction and may be operated by -Boston,in the county of Sulfolk and State of power applied in any suitable way, and as my fMassachusetts', have invented certain new. invention does not relate to the construction 5 and useful Improvements in Apparatus for and mode of operation 0'. the compressors I tilizing Liquid or Gaseous Fuel for Power, 'do not illustrate'their construction or the 1. of which the following is, a specification. means for actuating them.

his invention relates to gas or liquid fuel The reservoirs G and O are provided, reengines-in which a mixture of air and fuel is spectively, with outlets C and 0 through 6o [0 continuously burned in a combustion-chainwhich their'contents pass through a proporerconnected'with the'working cylinders of tioniug-valve D to a combustion-chamber E, the engine; and itconsists in certain improvewhere combustion is continuously carried on, ments, hereinafter described and claimed, the valve D being of such construct-ionas to havingfortheir general objects, first, the con supply the fuel and air in such proportion, 65 trolof the proportion'of fuel and air'admitted' :whatever the quantitymay be, as to insure to the combustion-chamber, so that the relaperfect combustion. The valve D here shown tive quantities of fuel and air shall not ma-- comprises a casing 2, having an air-passage trially vary, and, secondly, the automatic 3 and a fuel-passage 3 and a sliding valve 4, and uniform; reduction of the fixed gases rehaving corresponding passages 5. 6. Portions 7e sulting from the combustion to a predeterof theairand fuel passing through the valve mined working temperature before they enhave access through ports 7 8 to faces on the ter the. working cylinders of the engine. valve and tend to close the valve, the tend- 0f the accompanying drawings, forming a ency-varying with the pressure of the air-and part of this specification, Figure 1 is a diafuel and being exerted against the pressure 75 grammatic view illustrating a suitable arof aspring 9. This construction of proporrangement of the parts of an apparatus emtioning-valve is one of a number which may odying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a be employed, and I donotlimit myself thereto. section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4, 5,.and The combustion of the mixture of fuel and G-represeut detached views-of parts of the apair-produces a mixture of nitrogen, carbonic 8e paratus hereinafter referred to. acid, and superheated steam, which is com In the drawings,Arep1-esentsacompressor ducted through a conduit E to a coolingor pump adapted to force into a reservoir 0 chamber hereinafter described and from the a constant quantity of fuel, which may be latter to the workingcylinders of the engine. either gaseous or liquid, the part A bein a Itis essential to complete combustion of the 85 compressor when gaseous fuel is used and amixture of fuel and air that the proportion of p jiiipwhen liquid fuel is used. said elements admitted to the combustion- As e apparatus hereinafter described is chamber be closely controlled, and to this end designed with referb'nceto the use of gaseous thepressures in the reservoirs O and 0 must ;,fuel, I will'hereinafter call'the partAa comnot be allowed to differ in any great degree 0 I 0 pressor', although I do not limit myself to an from each other, however much the pressure apparatus organized to use gaseous fuel' and of either may vary. In other words, any conmay modify the apparatus so that it will utilsiderable variation in the pressure in either ize liquid fuel without departing'from the reservoir should be accompanied by a corre- The compressorA is supplied with fuel by reservoir. -To this end I provide a tube or a pipe A, and supplies it to the reservoir 0 passage 0, connecting the lowerportions of throng a pipe A. said reservoirs, saidpassage being filled with represents an air-compressor which rea body. of liquid 0, such as water, which exceives atmospheric air through a suitable intends into the lower portions of the reservoirs mo lot and supplies it through a pipe B to a resand constitutes a liquid seal which prevents ervoir C. v v the mixture or osmose of the stored fuel and air and stands at-difierent levels in the two, reservoirs when thepressure in one exceeds that infthe other. I utilize this diiierence-in' level to practically equalize pressure linthe two reservoirs. This equalizationmay be effooted by the codperation with the liquid seal of any suitable devices adapted to be'oper atedby the, rise and fallofi th'gliquid seal to either release the excess of "pressure from the reservoir containing. it or to admit an additional supply to the reservoir needing it, or both. The equalizing devices here shown comprise a valve K in the fuel-reservoir,a

float H'in the fuel-reservoir counectedwith' said valve by a rod La .ilfoatH' in the air-reservoir, and a lever H pivoted at H in the passage aridconnected by rods H li with the floats HH', each float being proportionate in volume'to the volume of thereservoir containing it, 'while each arm of the lever H is inverselyproportienal to the volume of the float with which it is connected The valve K controls a supplemental outlet or by-pass K, extending from the fuel-reservoir O to'the supply-pipe A',"so that when said-valve is opened fuel will escape from the reservoirto thesupply-pipe, thus reducing the pressure in the-res'ervoirl I when the pressu'refis subcan be no material variation between the pressureof the air and fuel, although they may vary simultaneously cperatingrthe valve K.

-. The liquid seal between thetwo reservoirs,

actingto prevent an excess of pressure in .eith'er reservoir, and therefore closeiycontrolling the proportion of fuel and air admitted to the combustion-chamber, i'san'important feature of my invention,

-Iniurther carrying out my invention -I provide for the regulation of the pressure of the compressed air in the reservoir C by the'pressure of the products of combustion in and heyond the comhustion-chamherhy means oia supplemental outlet or'by-pass G, connecting the reservoir 0' with the conduitE', and .a-

5 lightly-confined safety-valve Gin said oying the maintenance and controlor a dilference in pressure between the air reservoir and the. combustionber. In order that the proportion the air and fuel may be controlledfthis ditjbe at within 1 close limits-ofi-"variation.

. beyond the eomhustiomchamber the -contrelrleast one pound h The arrangement of the valve K as here= "vantages of such utilization the necessity for-0mm bothreservoirs the vh'ilve: p

assets greater than the maximum difierencebetween the reservoirs of'air and gas. In other words,

if it'is' found im ssible liQ-.m 8|llil'a 1nthe pressures in ms tw reservoirswijthin less than two ounces of each other both of them-must leaelitaonepodhdahofis-the pressure m the ddmhustion -chamber in order thatthe proportion between the air, and fuel flowing into the.comhustion chamber may be certam It wiltbe seen, therefore,that I makethe pressure inor ling factor and cause the pressure m the a reservoir to follow this at a d stance of at by means ofthe valve G. It will also be seen that by means of the liquid seal I can so the fuel-pressurefto closely follow: the air-pressure. I ,find in practice that the fuel-pressure followst he air-pressure at a distance of not more than two ounces above or below. p

Another object of the regulation of the airpressure bythe pressure of the products of combustion is the utilization fluid of any excess of compressed may be on hand- -t-hat is to say, excess over the amount needed for combustion. The adare as follows: First,-1.he avoidance of amount of airproportional to the an load momentarily imposed on compress an amount sufiicient for mum capacity and loadfor which the engine is designed. Underany lighter would result an excess of compressed air, which I utilize by discharging it uots of'combustion'; secondly-,the partial cooling of the products of combustion to the desired working tempo ature bythe addition of a working fluid (compressed air) more economical than steann.

My invention further includes novel means .to. any extent without pass, the chief object of suchregulation.he,-

hamber, upon which difference depends the velocity and -.quantity of fiow of air'andfuelinto thecombust-ion -cham betweentemperature of the mixed for reducing the from the combustion oi the ing cylinders of the engine. The combustion of'the mixture of'a hydro carbon fueland air produces a mixture of fixed gases, which, as already stated, 'in- -cludes superheatedsteam and usually nitrogen and carbonic acid, the gasesbeing at or above the temperature and pressure of superheated steam. It'is necessary to reduce this temperature to thepredeterrnined degree working temperature before introducing 'thg gasesinto the working-cylinder; andto thi: end it hasbeen proposed to inject into th gases some diluent,'such aswateror air, jet or stream of the-diluent being introduce intothe moving'current of combined gase while they are on their way to 'the engini It is irnppssible, however, to meet in this we the cohstantly varying conditions as to qua] tit-y and temperature .ofthe, new of the h a predetermined degree 0:1; working temperature suitable for the worlr-f as a working air which the engine, it being sufficient with this machine toalways themaxrload there.

into the prodpart of my invention has for its object 'to automatically meet the said varying conditions and to supply the gases to the-engine at a uniform and practically unvarying work-. ing temperature; and to this end 1 pass the h heated-gases from the combustion-chamber to continuously through a body of water couy tained in a chamber F, wl1ich.receivessaid gases from the couduitE' and discharges them to the engine through a conduit F, the latter being above the maximum water-level in the chamber F. The volume of water in the chamber F.is in excess of the maximum quantity which the heated gases are able to.

e. yet the amount of water present-has no in- 85 without the employment ..of any accumula- .tion of the cooling agent to automatically and the consequent uniform and automatic reduction of the gases to the desired working .press it re. V 80 It is evident that while the amount of entering water must be regulated within cergases, :no matter in w at quantity or at what temperature they e'nt r, if only the smallest ermissble amount befpresent or excceded.-

'the water by means of a perforated ca'p F on n fact, might be found preferable to make 0;

' the eoolin'g-chambercom paratively large and the discharging end'of the conduit E, so as to divide the gases into .a' lai- 2e number :or

small bubbles, which rise to the surface and Suitable meansshould'be employed to sup ply-the water at a relatively warm tempera- 'ture'say not lower than150l Fahrenheit. 5 y I I 'l he-cooliug-chamber has 'a .suppl'y-pipeFf, body of water sufliciently large to [be in ex which may becontrolled byautomatic means,

' so; that it-w'ill be opened iwhen the waterfalls 'below-agivenflevel-and closed-when the water to fillitfonly periodically.

water could exist m such a coolin -chamber I gage-tube F maybe providedto indicate the steam of the pressure existing therein at any height-ofwater-in the chamber.

given time. Therefore the hot gases lm-( 1 egases coming from'theEcoohng-cham'ber ingthe body of water and passing through it '11 consist offa inixt-ureof nitrogen, carbonic.-

io water. It is furtherevident that', t;he gases th gines,The=diagram represents aWesting housestandard automatic st'eam -;engine J.

' claim'-y Thecom'bination of acombustion-chmnone. The cooling-chamber should therefore connected w thsaid chamber,- a llqu'id sealed liquid seal wherebyan excess of pressure in outlet or by-pass connected with-one of the I g t v reservoirs,alliquid-sealed connection between :25 conditions of design being fulfilled, the temperatu re of mixed permanent gases and steam sand reservoirs, a valve controlling said 'bypass, and connections between the valve and cannot vary precep'tibly above or below. that the liquid seal whereby the valve is opened of saturated steam of"thepressure existin b in the cooling chamber. I thusavoidthe varying results'which have attended all at 1empts heretofore to cool the hot gases by in ecting into the gases water-pair, or any other tity'of fuel, aj iiel-reservoir connected with lllllQDli-fi :In all such attempts the effort has said pump and provided with 'a primary or rises tothe maximum'heightdesired. .A'glass zoo ae1d,and saturated fsteam undera pressure. cylinders of any type'of steamforj vapor enhe .ber; an air-reservoir and a fuel-reservoirboth It's one-of the reservolrs maybe'released; r20

excess of pressure in one of the reservoirs. 13o

normal outlet, a supplemental outlet 'or by pass connecting said reservoir with the source of'fuel-supply, a valve'in said by-pass, and automatic valveoperating means through which an excess of pressure in the reservoir 7 acts to open the valve and reduce the pressure.

4. The'coinbination of a fuel pumpor com- I pressor; an air-compressor; reservoirs conjnected with said compressor, each reservoir having a primary or normal outlet; a supplemental outlet or by-pass connecting the fuelreservoir with the source of fuel-supply, a

, vliquid' sealed connection between said reservoirs,.a valve controlling said by-pass, and

connections between the valve and the liquid seal whereby the valve is opened by displace- .ment of the liquid s'eal caused by an exce'ss of pressure in the fuel-reservoir.

5. The combination of a combustio'n-cham 'ber,"a conduit leading therefrom for the prod'- nets of combustion, an air-reservoir and a fuel reservoir connected with the combustion-chamber, asupplemental outlet or bypass connecting the' air-reservoir with said conduit and provided with a yielding valve adapted t9 release into said conduit any excess of air-pressure over the pressure of the products'pf combustion inthe conduit, a suppleuiental .outlet or bypass connecting 'the fuel-reservoir withthe source of fuel-supply, a liquid-sealed connection between the two reservoirs, a -valve controlling the by-pass or supplemental outlet of the fuel-reservoir, and connections between the valve and the liquid seal whereby the valve is opened by an excess of pressure in the fuel-reservoir.

6. The combination of a combustion-chamber, an air-reservoir and a fuel-reservoir both connectedwith said chamber, means for supplying gaseous fuel and air to said reservoirs under pressure and for proportioning the pressure in said two reservoirs, an engine, and a cooling-chamber having'its interior connected with the combustion-chamber and with the engine, and containing a body of water.

7. The combination of mammaliaher, an air-reservoir and a fuelreservoir both connected with said chamber, means for supplying gaseous fuel and air to said reservoirs underpressure, an engine, and a cooling-' 

